Italian expressions for estimation and approximation offer colorful ways to convey imprecise values in conversations. Let’s explore a small selection of Italian phrases that capture the essence of approximating values in everyday communication.
1. Più o meno
This is one of the most common Italian expressions used to convey approximation you’ll probably hear when in Italy. It translates to “more or less,” allowing you to provide an approximate estimate when needed.
Examples:
Ci vorranno più o meno dieci minuti per arrivare.
It will take more or less ten minutes to get there.
Penso che un abbonamento costi più o meno cento euro.
I think that a subscription costs more or less one hundred euros.
2. Su per giù
This Italian expression literally translates to “up for down” but in reality, it’s a synonym of più o meno, so it means more or less.
Let’s see some examples:
Un’auto nuova costa su per giù ventimila euro.
A new car costs more or less twenty thousand euros.
Ho camminato su per giù due ore per arrivare al villaggio.
I walked for about two hours to get to the village.
3. Approssimativamente
This is the standard Italian word to say approximately. As you can see it’s very long, so feel free to use one of the other Italian expressions mentioned in this article, if you like them more.
Examples:
L’età del bambino è approssimativamente tra i cinque e i sei anni.
The child’s age is approximately between five and six years old.
Il viaggio in treno da Milano a Roma dura approssimativamente tre ore.
The train journey from Milan to Rome takes approximately three hours.
4. All’incirca
Another Italian expression to indicate an approximation is all’incirca. It translates to about, roughly.
Let’s see some examples:
Il film dura all’incirca due ore e mezza.
The movie lasts about two and a half hours.
Abbiamo all’incirca cinquecento persone che parteciperanno all’evento.
We have roughly five hundred people attending the event.
5. Ad occhio e croce
This Italian expression literally means “to eye and cross”. However, it’s actually used to say “about; more or less; at a rough guess”.
Examples:
Non sono sicuro delle dimensioni esatte del giardino, ma ad occhio e croce direi che ha una lunghezza di circa venti metri
I’m not certain about the exact dimensions of the garden, but roughly speaking, I’d say it’s about twenty meters long.
Non so quante persone ci siano nella sala ma a occhio e croce direi un centinaio.
I don’t know how many people are in the room, but roughly speaking, I’d say around a hundred.
6. A spanne
This is an Italian expression used to measure something approximately, often by using one’s hand, in particular the distance between the thumb and the little finger, as a rough unit of measurement.
Let’s see some examples:
A spanne la stanza misura quattro metri per tre.
The room measures roughly four meters by three.
All these Italian expressions allow you to express imprecision or estimations in quantities or time frames with confidence.
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